12 authors on their must-read summer thriller picks
Rachel Howzell Hall recommends <em>Runner</em> by Tracy Clark
"I cannot wait to snag Runner, the next installment of Tracy Clark's Cass Raines series. In this turn, kick-ass private eye Cass must find a missing teenage girl in the middle of a Midwestern winter before the Bad Guys find her. What could possibly go wrong with all that snow and all those secrets?" —Rachel Howzell Hall, author of They All Fall Down
S.A. Cosby on <em>One Got Away</em> by S.A. Lelchuk
"One Got Away is a provocative, edge of your seat thriller with an all too human protagonist who is self aware enough to know she is damaged but strong enough to persevere." —S.A. Cosby, author of Blacktop Wasteland
Victoria Gilbert recommends <em>A Hex for Danger</em> by Esme Addison
"With its mermaid lore and charming southern atmosphere, Esme Addison's A Hex For Danger is a great beach read or, better yet, the perfect book to transport any land-locked reader to a lovely coastal small town awash with magic and mysteries." —Victoria Gilbert, author of the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series
Jennifer Hillier recommends <em>The Photographer</em> by Mary Dixie Carter
"They say pictures don't lie, but these days, they do. Why bother to create the perfect life if you can just photoshop yourself into someone else's? Mary Dixie Carter's The Photographer will have you wondering what's real and what's not on every page of this brilliant debut thriller." ―Jennifer Hillier, author of Jar of Hearts
B.A. Paris recommends <em>A Slow Fire Burning</i> by Paula Hawkins
"The thriller that I'm looking forward to reading this summer is A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins. I love the premise — the murder of a young man on a London houseboat, and three women who each have a connection to the victim. I imagine it will be both gripping and intense, with secrets, lies and betrayals at its core. I can't wait!" —B.A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors and forthcoming: The Therapist
Abby Collette recommends <em>Dead of Winter</em> by Stephen Mack Jones
I love August Snow books and Dead of Winter, the latest is a fun, high octane-thriller. Good times and action packed, Jones writes relatable, diverse characters that you know. An inner city setting with a strong sense of place. All said and done, this is one terrific page-turner. —Abby Collette, author of A Game of Cones
Chandler Baker recommends <em>Madam</em> by Phoebe Wynne
"Even if you're not already as entranced by the Scottish Highlands as I am, you will be after Madam. Rose is a plucky teacher who joins the Classics department at an exclusive all-girls boarding school only to find that there's something weird and unsettling about the students there. Perfect for fans of The Secret History, this book is all of my favorite things at once: haunting, feminist, and deliciously dark." —Chandler Baker, author of The Whisper Network and The Husbands
Lee Goldberg recommends <em>Tell Me the Truth</em> by Matthew Farrell
"Tell Me the Truth is a slow-boiling police procedural, combined with a suspenseful, and emotional, family drama. The one obvious, immediate truth in this tale of lies-upon-lies is that domestic bliss can be terrifying. Farrell delivers a powerful thriller that climaxes in a shocking series of explosive twists that literally hit home." —Lee Goldberg, author of Bone Canyon and Gated Prey
Andrea Bartz recommends <em>Just One Look</em> by Lindsay Cameron
"Fresh, fun, and totally wicked, Just One Look grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. It's a sharp, modern thrill ride with a witty heroine I cheered on and adored... even as she deeply creeped me out." —Andrea Bartz, author of The Lost Night, The Herd, and the forthcoming: We Were Never Here
Wendy Walker recommends <em>Her Last Breath</em> by Hilary Davidson
"Her Last Breath simply has it all. A page-turning plot, damaged, complex characters you can't help but root for, and a truly twisty family saga woven throughout. I loved this one by master storyteller Hilary Davidson!" —Wendy Walker, author of All is Not Forgotten
Mary Kubica recommends <em>Dark Roads</em> by Chevy Stevens
"I was infatuated with Chevy Steven's Dark Roads from the premise: a long stretch of remote highway where women, for decades, have been going missing. The writing is gripping. Stevens then ups the ante with nuanced characters and an addictive, heart-pounding story that is as much about an elusive serial killer as it is love, loss and family ties. I've been a huge fan of Stevens since Still Missing and somehow, she just keeps getting better and better!" —Mary Kubica, author of The Other Mrs. and Local Woman Missing
Catherine Ryan Howard recommends <i>Bath Haus</i< by P.J. Vernon
"One of the downsides of writing thrillers is that it becomes increasingly difficult to completely lose yourself in them as a reader, but I had no such problem with Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon. It completely gripped me in its opening scene and did not let go. Oliver risks his perfect everything with Nathan for a casual encounter at a bath house — and then pays a terrible price when it follows him home. A wildly entertaining thriller with twists and tension to spare." — Catherine Ryan Howard, author of Distress Signals, The Nothing Man, and the forthcoming: 56 Days
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